Chicago Lake FX Summit and Expo announced

Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events will announce Friday the launch of the Lake FX Summit + Expo, a free conference for artists, creative professionals and entrepreneurs, running April 16-19, 2015. Events will take place at the Chicago Cultural Center and other venues within walking distance of the Center; evening showcases will take place across the city.

According to the announcement, the four-day event will “welcome thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations for keynotes by industry leaders, professional development panels and workshops, networking opportunities, music and film showcases, the Expo resource fair and a marketplace open to local artisans. Seminar tracks will focus on the music, film, fashion, culinary and art industries as well as emerging and established artists.”

The full schedule of keynote speakers and programs for the conference, themed “Improvisation and Innovation,” will be released later this winter. Already confirmed are a Second City creative team, who will present lessons from the company’s book “Yes, And”; Seymour Stein, founder of Sire Records, discussing his career, which included signing the Ramones and Talking Heads, and Rochelle Trotter, who will discuss the legacy of her late husband, iconic Chef Charlie Trotter.

The Lake FX Summit + Expo is co-produced by CIMMfest (coinciding April 16-19, as a showcase of films, concerts, VJ/DJ sets and other programs showing what movies and music mean to each other) and the Recording Academy Chicago Chapter.